Fayetteville Highlanders
The Fayetteville Highlanders baseball club was an American minor league baseball franchise representing Fayetteville, North Carolina. The highlanders were the primary moniker of Fayetteville and played in the Carolina League (1953–1956), Eastern Carolina League (1909, 1911, 1928–1929) and Eastern Carolina Association (1910).
| Fayetteville Highlanders 1950–1956 (1909-1911, 1928-1929, 1946-1956) Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
|---|---|
| Previous classes | Class B (1947-1948, 1952-1956) Class D (1909-1911, 1928-1929) |
Previous leagues | Eastern Carolina League (1909, 1911, 1928-1929) Eastern Carolina Association (1910) Coastal Plain League (1946) Tri-State League (1947-1948) Tobacco State League (1949) Carolina League (1950-1956) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams | Chicago Cubs (1946-1948) Philadelphia Athletics (1950-1953) Baltimore Orioles (1955) Cleveland Indians (1956) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 4 1910, 1948, 1953, 1956 |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Fayetteville Highlanders (1909-1911, 1928-1929) Fayetteville Cubs (1946-1948) Fayetteville Scotties (1949) Fayetteville Athletics (1950-1952) Fayettevillle Highlanders (1953-1956) |
Previous parks | Cape Fear Fairgrounds Park (1909-1911) Highland Park Base Ball Grounds (1928-1929) Pittman Stadium (1946-1956) |
The Highlanders were affiliates of the Philadelphia Athletics (1953), Baltimore Orioles (1955) and Cleveland Indians (1956).
Jim Thorpe, Olympic Champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame member played for the 1910 Fayetteville Highlanders.
The Highlanders set the foundation for today's Fayetteville Woodpeckers, who began play in the Carolina League in 2019.
History
Beginning in 1909, Fayetteville first hosted minor league baseball, when the Fayetteville Highlanders joined the Eastern Carolina League, playing at Cape Fear Fairgrounds Park. The Fayetteville Highlanders continued as members of the Eastern Carolina League (1909, 1911, 1928–1929) and Eastern Carolina Association (1910). The Highlanders captured the 1910 Eastern Carolina Association Championship. Jim Thorpe, Olympic Champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee played for the 1910 championship team.[1][2][3]
The Fayetteville Cubs(1946–1948) were members of the Coastal Plain League (1946) and Tri-State League (1947–1948), playing at Pittman Stadium. The Fayetteville Cubs were an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and captured the 1948 Tri-State League Championship.[4][3] In 1947, Rocky Marciano traveled to Fayetteville with friends to try out for the team. Marciano lasted three weeks and was cut. He would return home to Brockton, Massachusetts and begin his professional boxing career.[5]
In 1949, the Fayetteville Scotties played as members of Tobacco State League.[3]
The Fayetteville Athletics began play in the 1950 Carolina League, finishing 47–106 in their first season. They were an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics (1950–1952). The Athletics had a regular season record of 59–79 in 1951 and 93–73 in 1952, finishing in 7th place both seasons.[6]
The 1953 Fayetteville Highlanders continued play in the Carolina league. The Highlanders captured Carolina League Championships in 1953 (86–51) and 1956 (78–71). The Highlanders were affiliates of the Philadelphia Athletics (1953), Baltimore Orioles (1955) and Cleveland Indians (1956).[1]
The ballparks
The 1909-1911 Highlanders played at Cape Fear Fairgrounds Park. The ballpark was located on Gillespie Street in Fayetteville, North Carolina. today, the site has a marker for a Babe Ruth home run, that has his first professional home run, hit in a March, 1914 spring training game.[7]
The Highland Park Base Ball Grounds hosted the Highlanders in 1928–1929. Highland Park Base Ball Grounds had a capacity of 300 and was located at Grove (3B) Street at Cross Creek in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It was on the Cape Fear River. Today, the site hosts the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens.[8]
Beginning in 1946, Fayetteville teams played at Pittman Stadium. The ballpark had a capacity of 4,000 (1950) and dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 350-400-330. It was located on Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville, North Carolina. For a time, it was known as Cumberland Memorial Stadium.[9][10]
Notable alumni
- Johnny Allen (1928) MLB All-Star
- Jim Brosnan (1948)
- Smoky Burgess (1947) 9x MLB All-Star; Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
- Jack McKeon (1955, MGR) Manager: 2003 World Series Champion - Florida Marlins; 2× NL Manager of the Year (1999, 2003);San Diego Padres Hall of Fame
- Erskine Mayer (1910)
- Van Mungo (1929) 5x MLB All-Star
- Dan Osinski (1956)
- Arnie Portocarrero (1950)
- Aaron Robinson (1954-1955, MGR) MLB All-Star
- Jim Thorpe (1910) Olympic Champion; Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Pep Young (1928)
See also
References
- "Fayetteville Highlanders - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- "Jim Thorpe Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Fayetteville, NC - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- "Fayetteville Cubs - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
-
- Skehan, Everett M. (1977). Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 66. ISBN 0-395-25356-X.
- "Fayetteville Athletics - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- "Cape Fear Fairgrounds Park in Fayetteville, NC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "Highland Park Base Ball Grounds in Fayetteville, NC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "Pittman Stadium in Fayetteville, NC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- writer, Stephen Schramm, Staff. "Ghosts of Fayetteville's old baseball stadiums, nearly forgotten today". The Fayetteville Observer.